The second presidential debate took place between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Sept. 10. The 90-minute conversation covered top issues like abortion, immigration, the nationâs economy and housing crisis, foreign policies, and everything in between.Â
Throughout the evening, both candidates had notable moments, from Harrisâ distinctive facial expressions to Trump asserting that immigrants in Ohio were eating peopleâs pets. Trump also claimed that âtransgender operationsâ are happening to people in prison and that abortion are being done up until birth. Following the debate, several claims were fact-checked by nonpartisan organizations and debunked.Â
After a presidential debate, the biggest question is, who won?
While on a technicality, there should be no specific winner, as the judgment of the candidate’s performance plays a major role in how votes swing. An example goes back to the President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump debate, where Bidenâs poor performance helped propel his decision to suspend his campaign.
According to a poll taken by Her Campus, out of 1,257 responses, 159 people (13%) voted for Trump, and 1,098 (87%) voted for Harris.Â
âHands down, Kamala. I genuinely donât think it was even a competition. I feel like Kamala presented herself well, she seemed prepared, confident, and calm enough to hold her ground as a strong candidate,” Izzie McKenzie, treasurer of the League of Women Voters at UCF, said. “Trump, on the other hand, did exactly what was expected – he came across as inflammatory and very much improvised.”
Some viewers argued that Harris had an unfair advantage over Trump. Trump blasted ABC News moderators, believing they hosted a rigged debate.Â
âWith the recent affidavit coming out against ABC, there is evidence of a bias towards the Harris campaign at the debate in terms of directed questions, preparation, and fact-checking,” Marry Connolly, President of College Republicans at UCF, said. “With that being said, I think Trump did well when you consider the fact that he was at a disadvantage.”
Certain claims by Trump throughout the debate raked up a lot of emotions and fear for certain viewers about their lives if Trump became president.Â
âIt simply confirmed the view I already had of both candidates on either side and solidified in my head the idea that if the wrong one gets into office, America might not be the safest place for a female POC immigrant like me,” McKenzie said. “And thatâs terrifying,â
However, even with Kamalaâs support from voters after the debate, she still has not made an excessive gain in polls.
According to polls, Harris and Trump are deadlocked both at 47% on a national level. With the key state of Pennsylvania, Harris leads 50% to 46%.
Despite poll results designating Kamala as the projected winner, many voters were still left unsatisfied. Voters on the fence have been wanting to know more about Harris and her policies but still feel they have not learned a lot after the debate.
âI would have loved to have seen more solid plans and policy for environmental protection and immigration reform,” McKenzie said. “Specifically to do with more renewable energy and pathways to citizenship.â
Some viewers of the debate feel that too much of it was not focused on each candidate’s actual policies but instead on attacking and trying to make fools out of each other.
âI do think that too much of the debate was spent on personal attacks and unnecessary questions about highly specific, controversial topics,” Connolly said. “I believe more time should have been spent on discussing each candidate’s real policy positions.”
Harrisâ team has pushed for a second debate, but Trump has declined. In a Truth Social post, Trump stated, âWhen a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are, âI WANT A REMATCH.â
However, voters can look forward to the debate between vice presidential candidates GOP Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio and Democratic Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota on Tuesday, Oct. 1.